Making my wells.

[OrangeQuest]

I know you are joking, but the only thing I use pvc for in a boat is chase tubes. And a 1" overflow is not enough if you plan on using 800gpm pumps. I use 1 1/8" if memory serves, and my 500gpm pump can over power it at full blast so I gate it back a bit.

I was only joking about the concrete chucks, it was a bad joke, I am very sorry.

If you don't use PVC for live well plumping then what and why? I think my design calls for 4 or 6 valves to control water flow. PVC ball valves are very cheap and come in red or blue handles. Priced Flow Rite valves at $31.00 each, that's my whole live well budget!

[cape man]

My well has a combination of 3/4" pvc and reinforced plastic tubing for the intake, one ball valve between the high-speed pick up and the pump. The valve allows me to shut off the flow when I don't want water in the well. A 1" pvc coupling serves as the drain out the side at the bottom, epoxied in (rough it up with 30 grit before glueing). The coupling takes a cheap boat plug. The overflow is a 1.5" bulkhead that also goes out the side, with a plastic strainer inside. Openings in the strainer are small enough to keep my smallest baits in, and has enough surface area to not clog easily with debris that comes in with the cast net.

Bottom line...pvc is fine, but I would make your overflows bigger. You are pumping through the smaller intake but relying on gravity (head pressure) for the overflow.

[OrangeQuest]

My well has a combination of 3/4" pvc and reinforced plastic tubing for the intake, one ball valve between the high-speed pick up and the pump. The valve allows me to shut off the flow when I don't want water in the well. A 1" pvc coupling serves as the drain out the side at the bottom, epoxied in (rough it up with 30 grit before glueing). The coupling takes a cheap boat plug. The overflow is a 1.5" bulkhead that also goes out the side, with a plastic strainer inside. Openings in the strainer are small enough to keep my smallest baits in, and has enough surface area to not clog easily with debris that comes in with the cast net.

Bottom line...pvc is fine, but I would make your overflows bigger. You are pumping through the smaller intake but relying on gravity (head pressure) for the overflow.

Thanks for the input Cape-Man, Few questions. Your High speed pick, do you use the pump when on plane to bring water in and is the vents in the pickup pointed aft? If yes to either, do you have any problems with it not pulling in water at planning speeds? Is the pick up protected from getting hit or sucking up mud/sand when in shallow water?
Your logic is reasonable for the 1.5" strainer overflow, makes sense to drop bait directly in from cast net.

My design is cut off valve at intake, a tee, then pump. Flow control valves to each tank and shut off valves to each drain back to the tee before the pump. The drains will be used to recycle water back through the system for when the boat is loaded at the end of fishing trip or in very shallow water.
When ready to drain the system the flow goes back out the pick up. The plan is a overflow from bait well to live well and the live well then has a over flow out the side. I do a lot of catch and release so the bait well will be used more often than the live well.

Thanks again to everyone that provides input,
Ken J

[silentneko]

I was only joking about the concrete chucks, it was a bad joke, I am very sorry.

If you don't use PVC for live well plumping then what and why? I think my design calls for 4 or 6 valves to control water flow. PVC ball valves are very cheap and come in red or blue handles. Priced Flow Rite valves at $31.00 each, that's my whole live well budget!

I used pvc once, even though I was told not to, for a recirculating pump. Problem is pvc does not take vibration well and is prone to cracking, mine did after a few months. The marine plastic fittings are usually fiber reinforced so they won't crack, but they are more expensive.
You could still use the pvc ball valves, although I think 5 is extreme. I would mount the valves with barbed fittings on their ends, and use the flexible reinforced tubing to connect everything instead of pvc pipes.
As to using 5 valves, won't you have spray heads in each well. Just get the kind that are adjustable and you can eliminate 2 valves for less money.

[OrangeQuest]

The marine plastic fittings are usually fiber reinforced so they won't crack, but they are more expensive.
You could still use the pvc ball valves, although I think 5 is extreme. I would mount the valves with barbed fittings on their ends, and use the flexible reinforced tubing to connect everything instead of pvc pipes.
As to using 5 valves, won't you have spray heads in each well. Just get the kind that are adjustable and you can eliminate 2 valves for less money.

I was thinking of using something like this.
https://flow-rite.com/products/marine/a ... mh-pja-120

Was looking at something that would pump fresh air into the water when on recycle and access hatches closed for long periods . Flow-rite also sells all the fitting and hose too. With their quick lock system if I have a failure it would easier to repair. Price isn't to bad. They are to proud of the valves though.

Thank you,
Ken J

[Capt UB]

I have used a lot of the pvc valves, they get hard to open and close over time. Then crack the pvc pipe... I have gone to hose barbed fitings on the valves... When they get hard to use, you can replace them or grease them.

[OrangeQuest]

I have used a lot of the pvc valves, they get hard to open and close over time. Then crack the pvc pipe... I have gone to hose barbed fitings on the valves... When they get hard to use, you can replace them or grease them.

With the advice of using the barbed fitting, by you guys, (my case I may use Flow-rite Qwik-Lok stuff and hose) then it would be very easy to pop new valves in and out. I can make them all the same so as one acts up it would be easy to have a spare or two for quick replacement. Then the trick will be to route everything so one access hatch is all I need. I think I can do it because all the valves will be going to or from the pump area. IF the valves are all in the same "valve locker" then I can bring all the walls to the locker above water line so any leaks in the hoses will be contained in the locker and not fill the bilge up. I can't talk may self into using a high speed pick up so the strainer/pickup will be on the transom. With a threaded screen I can easily pull the screen off and thread a cap on to stop water from getting in.

Thank you guys for your insight on live wells, I have some "experimenting" to do!

Ken J

[OrangeQuest]

Here is what I am thinking to bring fresh air into a closed bait/live well system.

[JRL]

Look into “lost foam”.

I’ve made many temporary molds using insulation foam board (pink or blue works well and shapes/sands well) from the hardware story.

Coat your final shape with tinted epoxy. After it’s B staged apply several layers of epoxy/glass. When everything has cured you melt the foam away with acetone. You’ll be left with a foam free well.

At this point you can back your final shape with whatever you’d like to add strength. Balsa core, nomex, marine plywood, closed cell foam, etc...

[OrangeQuest]

Look into “lost foam”.

I’ve made many temporary molds using insulation foam board (pink or blue works well and shapes/sands well) from the hardware story.

Coat your final shape with tinted epoxy. After it’s B staged apply several layers of epoxy/glass. When everything has cured you melt the foam away with acetone. You’ll be left with a foam free well.

At this point you can back your final shape with whatever you’d like to add strength. Balsa core, nomex, marine plywood, closed cell foam, etc...

Because of the limited space between the stern frames I will be using the frames as part of the live well. I was thinking of building a mold to glass in two sides and the bottom Like a "U" shape. Slide that in and glue it to cleats between frames. Then glass the inside as one piece tub. The bait well and cooler will be made of glassed foam.